Richard C. Atkinson (1929-)

Richard C. Atkinson Credit: NSF Collection

The fifth director served from May 1977 through June 1980. A psychologist, he was the first social scientist to become National Science Foundation (NSF) director. Atkinson was also the first director to have served as deputy director and acting director. He arrived at NSF as the crisis over "Man: A Course of Study" was beginning, and quickly learned the importance of good relations with Congress. His predecessor as director, H. Guyford Stever, later called him "a director for all seasons," praising his "wide grasp of issues" and his "breadth of knowledge."

Atkinson received his undergraduate degree from the University of Chicago in 1948 and his Ph.D. from Indiana University in 1955. After serving in the U.S. Army from 1954 to 1956, he joined the faculty of Stanford University in 1956, and, except for four years at the University of California, Los Angeles (1957-1961), he remained on the Stanford faculty until 1980. (He retained his status as a faculty member while at NSF.) He became deputy director of NSF in June 1975, and served as acting director from August 1976 until May 1977.

One of the major challenges facing Atkinson was providing the best administrative framework for applied research at NSF. He decided to end the Research Applied to National Needs Program and establish a new Directorate for Engineering and Applied Science.